I have been working on this post for a couple of months now. I read an article recently about documenting your daily life and actually being in the photos. I’m always the one behind the camera and rarely get a picture with myself in the frame unless my sister is visiting. So I decided to bust out my tripod and start documenting my own daily life to not only answer my husband’s question of, “what did you do all day?” but to also be able to look back on this time in my life and remember how things were.

This is a special time in my life right now because I am not currently working. I started working as a CT technologist before Logan and I got married and have been fortunate enough to find a job in each state that we have been stationed in. I went back to work three months after having Easton and it was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Logan and I discussed before getting married that I would not be a stay-at-home mom, and I was completely in agreement with that. Who wants to stay home with a crying baby all day anyway?? It’s so funny how things change after you have your own children. So with the birth of our second child, Logan told me I could stay home until she was 18 months old. The timing worked out perfectly because three months after having Amelia, we were packing up for our move to Virginia.

I am now in the full throes of being a stay-at-home mom. There are days when I feel like I’m super mom and days I’m on the brink of a massive meltdown. There are days when I absolutely love that I’m home with them and days when I think I’m ready to go back to work. Divvying my time up between an infant and a toddler is challenging, to say the least. I’ve learned a lot about myself. For one, I’ve learned that I can’t think clearly when a toddler is talking and a baby is crying. I’m the person that turns the radio down when I don’t know where I’m going in the car, I can’t fall asleep with the TV on, and I like it quiet when I’m reading. Can I get an amen? Unfortunately, you can’t turn the volume down on children. I think God is teaching me about patience and being more humble. I know most stay-at-home moms can relate. I have to keep telling myself that I’ll never get this time back with my children and that the most important work we do is within the walls of our own home. So here’s a little glimpse as to what my daily life looks like, for now anyway.

Most mornings Amelia is the first one to wake up. I sit and feed her in the chair that encompasses most of my day. Thank goodness for my iPhone – what on earth did people do before them? Easton usually wakes up shortly after and we all head downstairs to eat breakfast with Daddy before he leaves for work.

Easton does a wonderful job of playing with Amelia and keeping her occupied (for a few minutes anyway) while I get dressed. She doesn’t like to be left alone and will surely tell you if she’s upset.

A quick diaper change and fresh clothes before beginning the activities of the day.

Some mornings I try to wake up before the kids to get my workout in. Sometimes I’m successful and sometimes I’m not. If I’m not, let’s just say I get a lot of “rests” in between sets. The days that I do manage to squeeze a workout in, I feel like super mom!

The days that I have to let Easton watch TV so I can clean and take care of Amelia or myself, I feel like super-lame mom. It happens though. I’ve also learned that if I’m feeling stressed and run down, it’s better to give myself a break to re-charge then act irritated and snappy towards Easton. And then sometimes the toilets just have to get cleaned.

Cleaning. Ugh. I feel like I spend 50% of my day standing at this sink! We eat at home most of the time which saves money but stinks in the dish washing department!

Another 25% of my day is spent doing laundry and cleaning the rest of the house. You’ve never felt true sorrow until you’ve gone into a room that you just cleaned and spied a box of Lego’s dumped out in the floor or had a “runaway truck” plow through your pile of folded laundry.

Occasionally, Amelia gets to tag along with me while I work. It sure beats listening to a baby cry!

Most days we make time to Face Time with Grandma and KiKi. Sometimes Easton reads them a story and sometimes I just need a listening ear!

Some days, chores and errands get pushed aside and we head outside to play at the park or go for a walk. When it’s time for Amelia to take her morning nap, Easton and I can usually be found playing with Lego’s or reading books.

Another chore that is on my list is walking Semper. We do not have a backyard here and so I have to walk Semper morning, noon, and night. Sometimes Easton tags along to keep me company. Oh, the joys of pets.

Amelia usually gets a bath in the middle of the day so I don’t have to give both kids a bath at night. She always enjoys it and I’m certain I’ll never get tired of seeing her smile at me. These are the moments I’m so glad to experience, and they give a sleep- deprived mother something to smile about.

After lunch and afternoon naps, we head outside to play. We have been so fortunate to have made friends with several neighbors that live behind us. They all have children close in age with Easton and he has such a blast playing with them. If we’re ever in the house and he looks outside and sees them he yells, “Mommy, we gotta go outside! My friends are out there!” It’s also a great break for me and I always look forward to the adult conversation. Now, with the summer heat upon us, you can usually find us at the community pool just down the street.

After feeding Amelia and putting her down to bed at 1800, I head downstairs to cook dinner for everyone else. We always sit at the table, in our designated seats and talk about our day.
*Side note: On this particular evening, I made a chicken salad for Logan and me. Not a big bowl of cereal, like my sister first thought!

After some book reading and relaxing, Easton and I head upstairs for his bath. He loves bath time and is usually my evening entertainment and patience tester.

After bath is finished, pj’s are on, and teeth are brushed, we go get Daddy to put Easton to bed while I enjoy a few quiet moments to myself (and maybe an Oreo or four).  Some nights Logan and I will watch a show together and others I will sit down at my computer to edit photos or work on my blog. I’m still working on how to balance everything – I’ll probably be working on that for the rest of my life. My husband will agree that time management is not my thing.

As for now, I’m enjoying life and trying not to worry too much about what lies ahead. I’m sure life a year from now will be much different and I’ll look back at this post and realize how simple life was. “The days are long, but the years are short” has never felt more true.